Walker and Snith win doubles luge bronze in Lake Placid

Tristan Walker and Justin Snith earned their first doubles World Cup podium finish of the season on Friday, placing third in Lake Placid.

The Canadian duo had been in fourth place after the first run and laid down an error-free second run for a total time of 1:27.683.

Team Canada’s Tristan Walker and Justin Snith race down the track during the doubles World Cup luge competition in Calgary, Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

They then watched as the American tandem of Matt Mortensen and Jayson Terdiman, who had been second-fastest in the first heat, made a mistake midway down the track, costing them valuable hundredths of a second as they fell out of a podium position.

Germany’s Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken, the current World Cup leaders, won their fifth gold of the season in 1:26.806. Austrians Peter Penz and Georg Fischler finished second for the third straight race in 1:27.440.

Walker and Snith had their previous best result of the season last week in Calgary when they finished sixth. They had helped Canada win a pair of silver medals in the team relay in Innsbruck and Calgary.

Team Canada’s Tristan Walker and Justin Snith hit the band during the team relay at the Calgary World Cup on December 9, 2017.THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jeff McIntosh

Back in January 2014, Walker and Snith became the first Canadians to win a World Cup medal in doubles luge. They added another bronze in December 2014 before injuries started to take their toll as Snith dealt with a broken ankle and a torn knee ligament throughout the second half of the 2014-15 season and all of 2015-16. Last season they just missed returning to the World Cup podium when they finished fourth in Oberhof, Germany.

This is the last World Cup stop that will count towards Olympic qualification. The men’s singles event will take place later on Friday, with the women’s race on Saturday before the circuit takes a brief holiday hiatus. The World Cup will resume on January 6, in Königssee, Germany.